Unfolding Within

14. Assignments! Assignments! Assignments!

Next day, in the school library, it was a quiet and focused environment. The shelves are lined with textbooks, and the soft hum of students studying fills the air. Michela was seated at a corner table again as usual after the event, textbooks and notes spread out in front of her.

She’s deeply absorbed in her work, writing notes with precision, the picture of discipline.

It was the so-called assignment fever time before end term, and everything felt like a ticking clock. The weight of the exams, her prefect duties, things at home were all crashing down on her. Yet, none of it showed on her face. To the outside world, Michela was still so calm, effortlessly balancing everything. But inside, her thoughts raced.

Nadia enters the library, breathless, with a sports bag slung over her shoulder. She’s still in her track clothes, and her hair is a little disheveled. She went directly to the librarian, returned something that seemed like a bunch of sports magazines and glanced around and spotted Michela at the table.

For a minute she hesitated but then she approached Michela.This is an uncomfortable feeling from the previous day’s events. But Michela had already thought of moving on from that and never to mention it. She wished Nadia was planning to do the same.

Nadia: (leaning against the table)
"You look like you're about to become the school’s human calculator. I thought I'd find you here."

Michela: (without looking up, her voice neutral)
"There’s a line of assignment submissions next week."

Nadia chuckles, but it’s clear she’s not fully into it. She sits down across from Michela, her hands absentmindedly fiddling with the zipper on her bag.

"I know, I know. But you're making us look bad."

Michela finally looks up, her eyes meeting Nadia’s. There’s a flicker of amusement in Nadia’s gaze.

" I just... don’t want to fall behind." Michela responded calmly.

With a smirk forming on her face, Nadia leaned back "Come on!"

Michela studies Nadia for a moment, her mind racing. She sees the cracks in the facade—the way Nadia avoids eye contact when she talks about grades. It’s becoming clearer: Nadia is struggling, and she’s hiding it behind her attitude.

"I’ve noticed you've been missing a lot of classes lately."

Nadia tenses, and the cocky smirk falters for just a moment. But it’s gone as quickly as it appeared.

"Practice runs late. Sometimes things don’t go as planned. That's all."

Michela's eyes narrowed, but she didn't want to press further. She knew Nadia doesn’t want to talk about it, and she did not want to make things worse. But this uncertainty inside her was string—a strange protective feeling she hasn’t fully come to terms with. It’s not her job to fix Nadia’s problems, but for some reason, she can’t ignore the urge to help her.

In a voice softened slightly Michela tried again, "You should still make time for your classes. You don’t want it to get out of hand."

Nadia gives her a dismissive look, but there's a flicker of something in her eyes—recognition, maybe frustration, but also... maybe guilt.

"Yeah, yeah. I’ll figure it out." Nardia Mumbled.

There’s a pause as both girls sit in silence, the weight of unspoken words hanging in the air. None of them wanted to talk about the previous day's incidents. Nadia’s phone buzzes, and she grabs it quickly, glancing at the screen before pushing it back into her bag.

Standing up, Nadia was looking at Michela in eyes for the first time that day.
"I gotta go, practice in an hour. You’re lucky you have it all figured out."

Michela watches Nadia leave, a quiet frustration simmering inside her. She knows what she’s doing—she’s allowing Nadia to hide behind her excuses, even if it frustrates her. And yet, she can’t bring herself to confront her fully.

As Nadia walks out, Michela was left alone with her textbooks, her mind swirling. The internal conflict is growing stronger: why the concern?

"Why do I care so much?" Whispered Michela to herself.